Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in South Africa
South Africa: Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling was 2.21 live births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
2.21 live births per woman
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
99th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.14 live births per woman
in 1958
All-time low
2.21 live births per woman
in 2024
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in South Africa, 1950–2024
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 2.21 live births per woman for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in South Africa peaked at 6.14 live births per woman in 1958 and was at its lowest, 2.21 live births per woman, in 2024.
South Africa ranks 99th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 75 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in South Africa, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.03 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.06 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 6.08 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 6.09 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 6.11 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 6.13 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 6.13 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 6.14 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 6.14 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 6.13 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 6.11 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 6.08 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 6.05 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 6.01 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 5.96 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 5.89 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 5.91 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 5.85 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 5.78 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 5.72 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 5.63 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 5.57 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 5.49 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 5.41 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 5.3 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 5.19 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1976 | 5.07 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 4.94 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 4.85 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.82 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 4.78 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 4.71 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 4.7 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 4.63 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 4.57 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 4.5 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 4.41 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 4.35 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 4.18 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 3.98 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 3.72 live births per woman | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 3.62 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 3.48 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 3.37 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 3.26 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 3.17 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 2.99 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1997 | 2.73 live births per woman | -8.6% |
| 1998 | 2.63 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 2.56 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 2.41 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 2.37 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 2.32 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 2.36 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 2.44 live births per woman | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 2.51 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 2.55 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 2.54 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 2.68 live births per woman | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 2.5 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 2.44 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 2.44 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.45 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 2.43 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 2.42 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.36 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 2.26 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 2.28 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 2.27 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 2.26 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 2.26 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 2.25 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 2.23 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 2.22 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 2.21 live births per woman | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.1 live births per woman | 6.03 live births per woman | 6.14 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.94 live births per woman | 5.72 live births per woman | 6.11 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.23 live births per woman | 4.82 live births per woman | 5.63 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.48 live births per woman | 3.98 live births per woman | 4.78 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.15 live births per woman | 2.56 live births per woman | 3.72 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.47 live births per woman | 2.32 live births per woman | 2.68 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.36 live births per woman | 2.26 live births per woman | 2.45 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.23 live births per woman | 2.21 live births per woman | 2.26 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 96 Dominican Republic 2.22 live births per woman compare
- 97 Morocco 2.21 live births per woman compare
- 98 Nicaragua 2.21 live births per woman compare
- 100 Western Sahara 2.18 live births per woman compare
- 101 Reunion 2.15 live births per woman compare
- 102 Bangladesh 2.14 live births per woman compare
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -2.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 225,583 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 61,727 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 748,573 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -1.43 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 444,590 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -4.38 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in South Africa?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in South Africa was 2.21 live births per woman in 2024, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.14 live births per woman in 1958.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.21 live births per woman in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- South Africa ranks 99th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.